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  1. House Exterior
  2. Contemporary

Contemporary House Exterior Ideas and Designs

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Three Peak House
Three Peak House
Iguana Architects & Interior DesignIguana Architects & Interior Design
Completed renovation works
Contemporary house exterior in London.
Willows - Various Extensions and Full Refurbishment
Willows - Various Extensions and Full Refurbishment
Spatial Design ArchitectsSpatial Design Architects
Photo of a contemporary two floor detached house in Essex with a pitched roof.
Bury Road
Bury Road
Western Design Architects LtdWestern Design Architects Ltd
WDA designed this distinctive, contemporary 5 bedroom house to sit comfortably in its unique sloping woodland setting in the heart of the conservation area. Due to its sensitive location the main planning constraints were the large number of trees in this sylvan setting. The building was designed to minimise the impact, both on trees and overlooking of neighbouring properties.
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Wyvern House
Wyvern House
Clear ArchitectsClear Architects
Inspiration for a black contemporary detached house in Essex with three floors.
Exterior at rear Dulwich
Exterior at rear Dulwich
Ashdene Builders LtdAshdene Builders Ltd
View from Garden at rear of property in Dulwich. Extensions at ground and first floor, Zinc Dormers on second floor with large windows
Inspiration for a large contemporary brick and rear semi-detached house in London with a pitched roof, a metal roof and a grey roof.
Avenue Road
Avenue Road
Pardon Chambers Architects LtdPardon Chambers Architects Ltd
Photo of a contemporary house exterior in Hertfordshire.
Coombe Project
Coombe Project
Mays PhotographyMays Photography
Contemporary house exterior in London.
Stratum
Stratum
uniquehomestaysuniquehomestays
Inspiration for a large contemporary two floor front detached house in Cornwall with a pitched roof.
Ditton Hilll
Ditton Hilll
Surman WestonSurman Weston
Photo of a white contemporary two floor detached house with a pitched roof.
Wilmar
Wilmar
Fiddes ArchitectsFiddes Architects
Design ideas for a multi-coloured contemporary two floor detached house in Other with mixed cladding, a lean-to roof and a grey roof.
Molesey Park Road
Molesey Park Road
Concept 8 ArchitectsConcept 8 Architects
rear facade
Inspiration for a multi-coloured contemporary two floor detached house in Surrey with mixed cladding and a lean-to roof.
Colourful Morden Family House
Colourful Morden Family House
Claudia Dorsch Interior Design LtdClaudia Dorsch Interior Design Ltd
Photo of a contemporary house exterior in London.
1930s Modernist Masterpiece
1930s Modernist Masterpiece
ABQ StudioABQ Studio
This is an example of a large contemporary house exterior in Sussex.
Limestone Wall Cladding
Limestone Wall Cladding
Espinoza Stone Inc.Espinoza Stone Inc.
Photo by Matt Torno
Design ideas for a large and white contemporary bungalow house exterior in Austin with stone cladding and a lean-to roof.
Second Floor Roof Altercations for Larger Balcony, Essex
Second Floor Roof Altercations for Larger Balcony, Essex
Design Spec LtdDesign Spec Ltd
Contemporary house exterior in Essex.
Complete renovation of semi detached house London
Complete renovation of semi detached house London
STUDIO TOSTUDIO TO
side return extension to semi detached property
Photo of a contemporary house exterior in London.
Barrowgate, London N4
Barrowgate, London N4
David Giles PhotographyDavid Giles Photography
This is an example of a contemporary house exterior in Other.
Woodland House
Woodland House
McLean QuinlanMcLean Quinlan
Hidden within a clearing in a Grade II listed arboretum in Hampshire, this highly efficient new-build family home was designed to fully embrace its wooded location. Surrounded by woods, the site provided both the potential for a unique perspective and also a challenge, due to the trees limiting the amount of natural daylight. To overcome this, we placed the guest bedrooms and ancillary spaces on the ground floor and elevated the primary living areas to the lighter first and second floors. The entrance to the house is via a courtyard to the north of the property. Stepping inside, into an airy entrance hall, an open oak staircase rises up through the house. Immediately beyond the full height glazing across the hallway, a newly planted acer stands where the two wings of the house part, drawing the gaze through to the gardens beyond. Throughout the home, a calming muted colour palette, crafted oak joinery and the gentle play of dappled light through the trees, creates a tranquil and inviting atmosphere. Upstairs, the landing connects to a formal living room on one side and a spacious kitchen, dining and living area on the other. Expansive glazing opens on to wide outdoor terraces that span the width of the building, flooding the space with daylight and offering a multi-sensory experience of the woodland canopy. Porcelain tiles both inside and outside create a seamless continuity between the two. At the top of the house, a timber pavilion subtly encloses the principal suite and study spaces. The mood here is quieter, with rooflights bathing the space in light and large picture windows provide breathtaking views over the treetops. The living area on the first floor and the master suite on the upper floor function as a single entity, to ensure the house feels inviting, even when the guest bedrooms are unoccupied. Outside, and opposite the main entrance, the house is complemented by a single storey garage and yoga studio, creating a formal entrance courtyard to the property. Timber decking and raised beds sit to the north of the studio and garage. The buildings are predominantly constructed from timber, with offsite fabrication and precise on-site assembly. Highly insulated, the choice of materials prioritises the reduction of VOCs, with wood shaving insulation and an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) to minimise both operational and embodied carbon emissions.
Warm Modern Exterior
Warm Modern Exterior
Zaharias DesignZaharias Design
Architect : CKA Light grey stained cedar siding, stucco, I-beam posts at entry, and standing seam metal roof
White contemporary two floor render detached house in San Francisco with a metal roof, a pitched roof and a black roof.

Contemporary House Exterior Ideas and Designs

With so much attention devoted to interior design, the exterior of a home can often get overlooked, but as the first thing that welcomes both us and our guests, it is worth devoting some time tending to the outside of your house. Furthermore, focusing on the contemporary kerb appeal of your home can add significant value if and when it comes time to sell up. Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian homes, with their bay windows and elegant plasterwork, often benefit from built in architecture advantages, but even if your house design is unassuming from the outside, small decorative and structural improvements to the contemporary exterior of your home can equal huge impact. Key areas of building design to focus on are the front door, the driveway or approach to your home, the porch area, the windows, the facade and the roof. And just a note of caution... before any significant contemporary exterior architecture gets under way, check first whether you need planning permission for your exterior house designs– this applies particularly to listed houses or buildings in a conservation area, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Take a look through the house designs, exterior architecture and images of front doors and driveways on Houzz to inspire your facade or building design, or read on for a few more pointers when it comes to redesigning your exterior.

How do I give my home an exterior facelift?

You may feel like your home’s exterior architecture is unalterable but there are a wide range of options available to improve its external building design, no matter what raw materials you begin with. Begin with the front door and the pathway or driveway that lead up to your home as these are easy to improve without huge budgets. A driveway or pathway must be kept neat and tidy and you can consider replacing tarmac with attractive tiles or gravel. Repainting or replacing the fence, wall or gate that fronts your home can also offer an overnight transformation without breaking the bank. An area to not cut corners however is the front door, where spending a little extra can make a huge difference in quality, and painting it in a colour you love will pay you back every time it welcomes you home! Updating your windows can be a significant building design project but it is one that has benefits both inside and out, as well as potentially saving you money on energy later. If you are lucky enough to have period windows such as bay windows with sash or leaded windows, then maintaining them should be a top priority, but if they are beyond repair then there are plenty of window professionals that will offer modern, double or triple glazed equivalents that could still work in your bay window. Working with uPVC? Not a problem – the best improvement you can make is to ensure your windows are the right size and shape for your home's overall proportions.

How do I update my home’s facade?

When it comes to updating the facade of your home, painting is the quickest and most affordable way to achieve a contemporary makeover, and if you opt for a colour other than white it can really make a statement (although sticking within the palette of your road and local area is advisable). A makeover that requires a bit more patience but can add romance and character to the most mundane of homes is to adorn the walls with climbing plants – delicate trailing wisteria is ever a British favourite, whilst roses and jasmine offer fragrance as well as beauty. If you’re looking to make more significant changes to the exterior of your home, whether that is adding timber cladding, hanging tiles, installing a bay window or rendering, then you should first check whether your house designs require planning permission. A New England style wood boarded home is beautiful and bright, but remember that it will need frequent repainting if it is going to stay looking its best, whilst stucco render or Tyrolean render can tidy up a home's exterior but think carefully before covering over original brickwork.

What should I consider if building a home from scratch?

If you’re working with an architect on a brand new build, the options are endless when it comes to deciding on the exterior architecture. But first things first, you will need to check planning permissions, building regulations and local restrictions, such as being in a conservation area, to make sure your plans for your exterior house designs will meet stipulations. If you are building in a street with predominantly Victorian facades, with bay windows and side returns, you might need to ensure your house designs fit in with the rest of the homes on the street, but if you’re building in a more remote area you’ll probably have more freedom for your building design. There are many architectural decisions to make, do you want a flat, gabled, hipped, mansard or perhaps even a curved roof? Do you want bay windows? Crittall windows? Perhaps external shutters? Do you want glass walls? Do you want wood cladding? Do you want a very symmetrical building design or something more contemporary? The decision is all yours but remember to consider the benefits of various materials over others and the effects that some architecture styles will have on everyday life, for example glass walls will look attractive but will give you less privacy. Your architect or builder will be able to guide you through the best contemporary exterior architecture choices for your house designs.
Schiff
Schiff
Michael Lee ArchitectsMichael Lee Architects
Design ideas for a brown contemporary detached house in Los Angeles with three floors, wood cladding and a flat roof.
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